Constructive alignment of a mathematics methodology module

Abstract As the demands of society are changing, a continuous adaptation of modules is needed on what to teach, how it should be taught, and ways to assess it. Therefore, the aim was to investigate how to constructively align learning outcomes, teaching-and-learning activities, and assessment tasks of a mathematics methodology module. The sample consisted of three mathematics teacher educators and 42 mathematics pre-service teachers purposively selected from a South African university. This qualitative study adopted the three phases of design-based research (DBR) (preliminary, teacher experiment, and retrospective) to collect data from learning guides, literature, surveys, and online reflections. Qualitative data were inductively coded, whereafter responses were quantified at a descriptive level. The findings revealed six learning outcomes sequenced from lower to higher levels of understanding, comprising affective, psychological, epistemological, pedagogical, curricular, and sociological dimensions. Eight teaching-and-learning activities allowed mathematics pre-service teacher involvement in achieving the learning outcomes. These activities were evaluated through various assessment tasks that mirrored the learning outcomes. This alignment provides information about knowledge, skills, and values to consider in preparing mathematics pre-service teachers for the teaching profession. This study contributes to existing studies on constructive alignment (CA) by showing how the phases of DBR can assist in redesigning a mathematics methodology module, simultaneously enhancing theory and practice, and so paving the way for course amendments to improve learning in diverse contexts. This study opens doors for further investigation in establishing design principles for implementing CA in university-level modules.